Note: All upper-division seminars are “special topics” courses under the course title, “Aesthetics and Values.”
Modesto A. Maidique Campus Seminars 2017-2018
Section | Course Title | Professors | Day and Time |
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U01 | Human Conduct and Values: Knowledge | Daniel Alvarez | Mon, Wed, Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM |
In the first half of the course, we will discuss the nature of human knowledge, drawing on both Eastern and Western perspectives and approaches (e.g., religious, philosophical, scientific, and aesthetic). In the second half, we will focus on human conduct and valuation, emphasizing some of the dominant approaches to ethics, such as naturalism, existentialism, contextualism, objectivism, and conventionalism. We will work with primary sources, including works (or brief selections) by Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Mill, John L. Mackie, David Wiggins, Nelson Goodman, W. V. Quine, Jonathan Edwards, Saint Bonaventure, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Mahavira, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita.In the first half of the course, we will discuss the nature of human knowledge, drawing on both Eastern and Western perspectives and approaches (e.g., religious, philosophical, scientific, and aesthetic). In the second half, we will focus on human conduct and valuation, emphasizing some of the dominant approaches to ethics, such as naturalism, existentialism, contextualism, objectivism, and conventionalism. We will work with primary sources, including works (or brief selections) by Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Mill, John L. Mackie, David Wiggins, Nelson Goodman, W. V. Quine, Jonathan Edwards, Saint Bonaventure, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Mahavira, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. | |||
U02 | Art as a Social Language | John Bailly | Friday 2:00PM - 4:45PM |
This course is structured around the idea that visual art holds a vital role in the social and cultural dialogue surrounding controversial issues. It investigates how artists have challenged or enforced authority by creating new aesthetics. It further explores how art is used to initiate, accelerate, or prevent social change. The heart of the course is the Aesthetics & Values Research and Exhibition Project. This provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their resourcefulness and creativity through the research, curation, and organization of an on-campus exhibition of contemporary South Florida artists. After forming committees, students are responsible for coordinating all aspects of the exhibition, including selecting artists, negotiating gallery space, working with university administration, and managing local media. Students also produce a thorough research paper on their chosen artists. | |||
U03 | Heady Harmonocosms: A Rollicking Dodecahedral Music/Science Mind Meld | David Becker | Monday 4:00PM - 6:50PM |
Imagine taking twelve particular keys of a piano (the seven white keys and five black keys from a C to the note before the next higher C) and placing the name of each tone assigned to these twelve keys onto a fascinating and obscure twelve-faced three-dimensional object so that one tone appears on each of the twelve faces in a certain arrangement. Now imagine that, of the millions of possible arrangements, the arrangement you created allows the chord sequences and even melodies of a huge number of popular rhythm and blues songs to be easily visualized by traveling in a continuous path that connects the quadrilateral faces of this mysterious gem-like object. New songs with appealing qualities can be composed with the device. How is this possible? Embark on a journey that bridges music and geometry, and that finds mutuality between these areas and the realms of molecular biology and animal morphogenesis. | |||
U04 | Things: Object, Image and Memory | Gretchen Scharnagl | Monday 2:00PM - 4:45PM |
We are surrounded by things. We collect and save, store and arrange them. From family heirlooms, museum and state or religious institution collections, and debris, refuse and remains, our history and memory are directed by image and object. Whether or not an object or image has survived time can affect our collective memory and play a pivotal role in forming society's aesthetics and values as well as demonstrating authority. Inspired by A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor, we will consider what objects, and the stories they generate, define who we are. Projects will include making an artifact for an event that has none and finding objects that generate stories in and about our own lives. The Wolfsonian and other local collections will enrich our exploration. Students will have the option to journey during Spring Break to the museums of Washington D.C. to allow us to discover those things contained within The Smithsonian, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. We communicate through objects and images. We make connections. We think with things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33BS1Hsi9Jc |
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U05 | Observing Ourselves: A Primer for Life After Honors | Scott Fingerhut | Monday 3:00PM - 5:50PM |
This seminar seeks to have you slow down, be quiet, and define your character, what is deeply and fundamentally true, for you and then write about it. We will accomplish this primarily by observing ourselves honestly. Our foundation text is the Bill of Rights’ vision of what is fundamentally fair, primarily in the lives of people accused of crimes: how our society treats its outcasts says perhaps the most about us and what we wish to be. In this sense, criminal law and procedure strike at the core of our studies together. We shall also observe ourselves across contexts historical, philosophical, sociological, spiritual, temporal, and musical to become attuned to "other shoes." As Justice Marshall advised, we may disagree about the requirements of the Constitution but we may disgrace ourselves by interpreting it based upon "unfounded assumptions about how people live." We address questions from “What does it mean to ‘have it made’?” to “Where is the soul?” to “Does freedom evolve?” Would you travel with Einstein's brain? Or talk dirty and influence people? Is there virtue in selfishness? Evolutionism or Creationism? Can I bridge the racial divide? All of this, and more, we shall consider, together. | |||
U06 | Creative Non-Fiction | Elizabeth Hanly | Tuesday 2:00PM - 4:45PM |
Writing is the closest thing to magic that I know. Nobody can pin down how precisely a story comes to a writer. But come they do -- sometimes as a memory that won't let one go; sometimes only as a vague nudge. This course in non-fiction asks students to dig into their own experience, letting the stories that only they know come to them, then finding the best ways to put them down on paper. In the process, one begins to honors one's own experience is unexpected ways. This I can promise. It's an easy step from listening closely for one's own stories, to listening more closely to others' stories. And so, assignments will be divided between personal essay and oral history projects. Both writers and "non-writers" are welcome in this class. Open hearts are required. | |||
U07 | Treating the Person, Not Only the Disease | Jose Rodriguez | Tuesday, Thursday 11:00PM - 12:15PM |
For the better part of a century, a disease-oriented model of treatment has dominated the medical field. In this paradigm, the medical doctor diagnoses and treats bio-physiological maladies and nothing more. Recent changes in the MCAT deal with the psychological and social foundations of behavior. This course will attempt to provide students with a primer for that other half of the MCAT. In the fall semester, we will cover MCAT Foundation Concepts 6 & 7: Sensing the Environment, Making Sense of the Environment, Responding to the World, Individual Influences on Behavior, Social Processes that Influence Human Behavior, and Attitude and Behavior Change. In the spring semester, we will cover MCAT Foundation Concepts 8, 9, & 10: Self-Identity, Social Thinking, Social Interactions, Understanding Social Structure, Demographic Characteristics and Processes, and Social Inequality. All students with an interest in the psycho-social biological foundations of human behavior are welcome to a course that connects psychology, sociology, biology, and anthropology. | |||
U08 | Challenges in Healthcare | Barbra Roller | Monday, Wednesday 5:30PM - 6:45PM |
This course is intended primarily for pre-med students or others planning to enter professional healthcare. It provides a comprehensive overview of the development of healthcare and the U.S. healthcare system, while also including extensive case study, shadowing and/or other field experiences, and some preparation for taking the MCAT. Students will hear about different aspects of healthcare from experts in these fields, many of them medical school faculty. This course has restricted enrollment. | |||
U09 | Biomedical Ethics | Michelle Mason | Wednesday 11:00AM - 1:45PM |
This course looks at how ethical issues have evolved into modern-day medical practices that affect today’s healthcare practitioner. We will examine issues of concern and the laws that govern medicine and bioethics in the US, as well as alternative medical practices where belief systems differ from Western concepts. During the second semester, issues of life and death are examined in detail and debated; these include abortion, stem cell research, AIDS, euthanasia, humans and animals as research subjects, and organ transplants, among others. The primary research initiative involves a 5,000-word paper on a major issue in healthcare. | |||
U10 | Environment and Society | Camilo Rosales | Monday 11:00AM - 1:45PM |
The first semester concentrates in understanding some of the workings of the earth such as natural cycles, natural geography and climatic regions. This is followed by studying how early cultures adapted to these conditions and how they created distinct cultural, practical, and philosophical concepts about the natural realm. The growth of agriculture, cities, art, and science in different parts of the world is covered in this segment. In similar fashion the environmental degradation, and sustainable practices, initiated by these early cultures are also studied. The second semester explores issues of industrial development, energy, technology, and the vast environmental degradation that ensued, including the loss of biodiversity, massive pollution, and climate change. This is followed by researching the great variety of efforts currently underway to remedy the situation including environmental sustainability, conservation, restoration, green urbanism, and new technologies. |
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U11 | Human Perception and Knowledge Creation | John Tsalikis | Wednesday 10:00AM - 12:45PM |
This course, taught by a professor in the College of Business, explores the limits of human perception and how it affects our understanding of the world. A multidisciplinary course, it includes cultural influences on knowledge and perception, behavioral learning theories, attribution theories, causation, and limitations of human senses (Gestalt theory). | |||
U12 | Culture and Expression: Censorship, Suppression, and Propaganda | Jason Calloway | Wednesday 9:00AM - 11:45AM |
For as long as humankind has gathered in groups, we have sought to express ourselves through various means: music, visual art, dance, speech, literature, and now digital media. Yet nearly as long, the seats of power in societies around the world have sought to co-opt, subvert, muzzle, or obliterate altogether the free expression of culture. This course will examine these interdependent issues from diverse vantage points, encompassing everything from the influence of the Catholic church during the Middle Ages through the Civil Rights era, from the agitprop of communist countries to the restrictions, explicit or oblique right here in contemporary America. We'll discuss how Pussy Riot became a tool of Putin's Russia and how they militarized their message in response to imprisonment; how actors helped to bring down the Berlin Wall; how Reinaldo Arenas employed a critical literary voice and openly gay lifestyle against the Castro regime; and much more. Join Jason Calloway, cellist of the Amernet String Quartet, Ensemble-in-Residence at FIU's School of Music and a fervent student of culture, in a frank exploration of ideas which matter to us all. |
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U15 | Global Social Entrepreneurship in Honors | Kate Sackman | Wednesday 10:00AM - 12:45PM |
This course explores the social, economic and political complexities of social ventures with a focus on social entrepreneurship. Alternative forms of social entrepreneurship are explored in depth in order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each business model, and their impacts on communities around the globe. Using six Harvard Business Review cases each semester, students will examine how to address social needs by developing an entrepreneurial venture. This interdisciplinary class brings together students from various academic backgrounds and interests to find comprehensive strategies and solutions to address important issues. Lectures, case studies and readings will prepare students to analyze a social challenge, come up with a business plan for a start-up enterprise as a team, and prepare to present their strategy to potential investors. Teams can be selected to submit their business plan to a global competition partnering with the Clinton Global Initiative. | |||
U17 | Narratives of Medicine, Health, and Healing | Amilcar Castellano Sanchez | Tuesday 1:00PM - 3:30PM |
*This course also has a summer reading: "When breath becomes air" by Paul Kalanithi that students must read prior to the first week of classes* This course aims to bring forth the unbreakable -- yet not well-valued and sparsely characterized -- connection between the worlds of text (narrative, poetry, short stories, memoirs, interviews, and film adaptations) to the worlds of medical ailments and medical practice. The course will encourage the reading and interpretation of different literary media coupled with a mirror representation of the disease (s) being discussed throughout the semester. The ultimate goal of the course is to explore fully the connection between health and well-being and the power of texts of all kind. Further impact of the recognition and valorization of this prominent literary and medical bond will manifest as participants contribute to knowledge via their participation in adding well-researched content to Wikipedia pages of their choice. Sessions will include active participation between students and faculty, Socratic seminar lead-discussions, written reflections, and review of peer review articles on the subject matter. |
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U18 | Entrepreneurship, Design and Thinking | Robert Hacker | Monday 9:00AM - 11:45AM |
This research seminar explores the similarities and unique features of both the design process and new business concept development. The focus is on the processes, heuristics and ways of thinking about problem solving in each discipline. Readings and course work are primarily from the writings of modern practitioners in each field. Equal time is given to both social and for-profit objectives and outcomes. | |||
U19 | Building a Foundation to Thrive in the Legal Profession | Kristen Corpion | Monday 6:45PM - 9:30PM |
Considering a career in the legal profession? If so, this course if for you. The course is designed to help students develop the skills necessary to thrive in the legal industry. The class begins with a multi-disciplinary exploration of the law and its evolution in western society and transforms into an in-depth look at the skills necessary to thrive in the modern legal ecosystem. Much of the course is structured around foundational legal subjects also taught in law school (e.g., civil procedure, contracts, property, etc.). Classes will include lectures by local practitioners, thematic workshops and occasional field trips. Students will leave the class better critical thinkers and better writers who are prepared to tackle the rigors of law school and the legal profession. | |||
U21 | Public Health / Public Works | Pioneer Winter | Tuesday 12:30PM - 3:15PM |
This course focuses on the role of culture in health information and dissemination. Culture can take on many operational definitions depending on the genre, but when applied to health practice it is defined as the collective understanding of a group of healthcare consumers. This course will develop the main points of cultural awareness for the public health professional, as both a pre-requisite and stand-alone course on social awareness that will lead to improvements in social marketing stratagems. Methods discussed will include the visual / performing arts, public works campaigning, health professional lay training (peer-to-peer health dissemination), social responsibility vs. responsibility diffusion, minority populations (e.g., LGBT populations, ethnic / racial disparities), targeting agenda-setting theory, trans-theoretical approaches to behavioral change, and development of health communication. | |||
U22 | Inventing America | Jose Rodriguez | Tuesday, Thursday 2:00PM - 3:15PM |
Since the inception of the United States, the concept of what it means to be an American has been contested. In the last hundred years, various groups that were once excluded from the American mainstream have come to dominate that mainstream. Additionally, the character and adaptation patterns of immigrants have drastically changed since the major influxes of European immigrants at the early part of the last century. What does it mean to be an American in the second decade of the 21st century? What are the processes (social, psychological, geo-political) that have created a different type of immigrant experience now from a hundred years ago? Is America a melting pot, or is there a better metaphor? To answer these, a many more questions, we will endeavor on an interdisciplinary journey through various fields of the humanities and social sciences. In the fall semester, we will focus on the experience of immigrants in their own words, through the use of memoirs. Additionally, we will investigate some of the historical and current reasons various groups of people have for coming to the US and how they develop (or not) a sense of American identity. Possible student projects include oral histories, personal memoirs, among others. In the spring semester, we will focus on the social science of demographic shifts, the psychology of adaptation and assimilation, social stratification and the creation of ethnic enclaves, as well as the science of identity development and change. Possible student projects include qualitative and quantitative projects in the various ethnically concentrated neighborhoods of Miami. | |||
U23 | Leadership in Film: Theory and Practice | Mayra Beers | Tuesday 3:30PM - 6:15PM |
Leaders shape the future of our societies and our organizations. This course will provide opportunities for students to actively reflect on leadership issues by viewing cinematic portrayals of leadership situations that will prompt conversations about personal and organizational values, attitudes, and behaviors. Through the films and supplemental readings, students will be able to analyze, understand, and draw conclusions about various principles of leadership, reflect on the theoretical foundations of their views, and discuss practical applications. | |||
U24 | Ability/Disability: Advocacy/Action | Diana Valle-Riestra | Tuesday, Thursday 11:00AM - 12:15PM |
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to study and reflect on current issues and research related to leadership and self-advocacy within the context of disability studies. The course will establish a risk-free and safe environment for students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers to explore a variety of issues related to self-awareness, self-determination, rights and responsibilities, reflective practice, and the development of leadership skills to create systems change. Specifically, this course will focus on: a) understanding the definitions and practices related to leadership, self-advocacy, and self-determination; b) development of leadership skills and strategies to promote systems change; c) disability history and legal requirements for the delivery of services; d) foundational/"soft" skills critical to the success of all students; and e) the need to be reflective practitioners in our fields of study to create effective change. Assignments and activities are planned to allow for both individual and group exploration of issues such as biographical writing, role-playing, book club, speaker series, event planning, leadership opportunities, and the development of a personal leadership and advocacy action plan. | |||
U26 | Skunkworks | Wifredo Fernandez | Thursday 9:30PM - 12:15PM |
Skunkworks is a team-based course that pushes students to develop desirable, feasible and viable products or services that solve challenges they are passionate about. The goal is to emulate the process of starting a startup. Students will work in inter-disciplinary, collaborative units to build empathy for their target users, identify specific problems, develop prototypes and iterate solutions based on user feedback, and ultimately test potential business models. The course will consist of a mix of lecture, guest speakers, heavy field work and independent team project management. Students will also be connected to the broader Miami startup community, visit incubators and attend events that amplify their professional network. | |||
U27 | Diplomacy Lab | Brian Fonseca | Tuesday, Thursday 5:00PM - 6:15PM |
The U.S. Department of State's Diplomacy Lab provides the opportunity to explore real-world challenges identified by State Department officials and work under the guidance of FIU faculty members with experience in diplomacy and international relations. Students will conduct multidisciplinary research over the course of the semester and provide the State Department with answers and actionable recommendations that support U.S foreign policy. Throughout the semester, students will work on their research inside and outside of the classroom, engage routinely with State Department officials, and interact with subject matter experts at FIU and around the globe. The course will conclude with the submission of a final research product and a presentation to the U.S. Department of State. The Diplomacy Lab allows students to contribute directly to the policymaking process, while helping the State Department tap into an underutilized reservoir of intellectual capital. | |||
U28 | Growing Smartly: How Global Corporations Grow Successfully | Hortensia Sampedro | Monday 1:00PM - 3:45PM |
Strategy, Marketing and Tactics explores the inter-relationship between three business disciplines: strategy, marketing and management. The course uses Harvard Business School cases, selected readings and a course project to develop a more practical understanding of the application of key concepts from each of these three disciplines. Students are encouraged to use the cases to test theory learned in previous courses against the realities of each case setting. The further development of skills in creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving are planned for and expected. The course project will require each team of students (3-4 students) to analyze a problem company, such as Apple, propose a new strategy and management structure and discuss what should be the key objectives for senior management. | |||
U29 | The Role of Law in Business: An Entrepreneur's Guide | Kristen Corpion | Wednesday 6:45PM - 9:30PM |
Calling all entrepreneurs and future business managers! For example, are you a pre-med student thinking about one day opening your own practice? Are you a business major with creative ideas for a new company? How will you manage such a feat? Where do you start? What sort of things should you know? What type of business structure would best suit your needs? This course will help you answer these questions and make confident and informed business decisions.The legal system and business policies and practices in the United States are closely related. Few aspects on how to manage a business can be accomplished without understanding various legal requirements. A basic understanding of these rules and the ethical constraints that impact business provides a framework for making sound business decisions, facilitates commercial transactions and promotes order in the marketplace. Course emphasis is on analytical problem-solving, ethical decision-making and critical thinking vis-à-vis the identification of issues and addressing of potential challenges before they become actual, expensive problems. A sample of topics to be covered include business entity selection/formation, structuring ownership/management, understanding human resources and preparing contracts. | |||
U30 | Law School in a Nutshell | Angie Puentes Leon | Wednesday 10:00AM - 12:30PM |
The course is designed to introduce students to a learning experience mirroring the 1st year of law school. Structured around lectures on core law school subjects (Constitutional Law, Contracts, & Torts), guest lectures by law faculty, and experiential learning opportunities, the course will prepare students for law school and teach with an emphasis on recreating the law school environment. The course will use the Socratic Method, law school exams, and an emphasis on legal research, writing and advocacy. | |||
U31 | The Everglades: From Beginning to End | Peter Machonis, Devon Graham | Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
This course will provide an in-depth, hands-on study of issues concerning Everglades National Park by examining not only the Everglades eco-system and the politics surrounding its conservation, but also the literature and art about the Everglades. It requires active participation from each student and can be physically challenging, since classes take place outdoors, rain or shine, and involve physical activities such as hiking, biking, canoeing, and walking through the swamp (slough slogging). Students also learn to identify South Florida flora and fauna. Class meets twice a month on Friday for the entire day at various off-campus locations (Homestead, Flamingo, Shark Valley, Big Cypress, Everglades City). In the past, we have had guests such as the photographer Clyde Butcher and the writer Carl Hiaasen, as well as Park Rangers. Participation is limited to 18 students. | |||
U32 | Lessons in Life and Leadership | Modesto Maidique | Wednesday 2:00PM - 4:45PM |
This course will examine the fundamentals of effective leadership through lectures, case discussions, and selected speakers drawn from the top business and civic leaders in Miami-Dade County. The first part is an intensive discussion of the literature on leadership effectiveness. Students will be provided with a list of concepts to help them better understand the role of an effective leader. They will utilize learning mediums such as the Big Five Personality Test and their life-changing crucible stories to help determine their own personal strengths and weaknesses as leaders. Students will select a leader for individual study from a list provided by the professor. They will analyze the leader and prepare and deliver a presentation on their findings. The professor of this course, Modesto Maidique, served as the third president of FIU from 1986 to 2008. He was CEO and President of Oscient Pharmaceuticals Corp. He was the founder of Semiconductor (Linear IC) Division of Analog Devices Inc., and served as Vice President and General Manager of the company. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Genome Therapeutics Corporation (formerly known as Collaborative Research, Inc.). (Faculty Permission Required) Note: The course you are trying to enroll in requires professor consent. To apply for this course, please contact Anna Mueller at amueller@fiu.edu. |
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U36 | The Fourth Industrial Revolution | Robert Hacker, Emily Gresham | Monday 1:00PM - 3:45PM |
Google, Amazon, Facebook, Uber, Netflix are some of the most disruptive and transformative technologies in the last twenty years. These technologies not only changed the way people accessed information and services but also how people behave. This course explores this major period of technological and social change called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. From robots to 3D printed medication, the period in which we now live will have wide ranging effects for at least the next fifty years. | |||
U37 | Cybersecurity | Randy Pestana, Brian Fonseca | Wednesday 5:00PM - 7:40PM |
This course is designed to introduce students to cybersecurity through policy and art. Over the course of two semesters, students will examine the current cybersecurity environment, understand the principles of cybersecurity, develop strategic planning capabilities, identify cybersecurity laws and regulatory requirements, and anticipate the future of cybersecurity threats, all in the context of US national security. Students will understand the interconnectedness between policy and technology, and how the public sector works with the private sector to combat cybersecurity threats. Students will be assigned both fictional and non-fictional texts as a means to understand the cybersecurity themes discussed above. Students will also view films that present on critical aspects of cybersecurity including hacking, insider threats, and cyber-terrorists, amongst others. Together, students will place themselves in the role of policymaker and develop a strategy to counter current and emerging cybersecurity threats. |
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U38 | Biophysics of Neuroscience | Jorge Riera Diaz | Tuesday, Thursday 2:00PM - 3:15PM |
This course will discuss the biophysics of neuronal computation for both biological and artificial neural networks. It will prepare students of any major to understand the main principles by which our brains work and computers recognize patterns, learn/plan actions, and interact with humans from an interdisciplinary perspective. The course will provide a detailed introduction to the anatomy/physiology of excitable cells, major brain architectures and principles, and the most relevant mathematical models for neural computation from single neurons to circuits. In the spring, students will learn to analyze electrophysiological data. Students will be provided with software to conduct the analysis of data recorded at different FIU sites, analyze data sets, and interpret the results in a 10-page publication. | |||
U41 | Disruptive Innovations: How Scalable Innovations are Shaping Our World, Not Your Parents' World | Hortensia Sampedro | Wednesday 3:00PM - 4:50PM |
Recent key innovations have disrupted their markets. It is well known that every time you take a large market and you substitute technology, you create disruption. There are three fundamental ways to achieve this: Do something differently, do something better, or do something new. The course studies the following key concepts, utilizing cases and readings of modern day examples to develop the themes: How do you develop new business ideas? what is disruptive innovation (Christiansen)?, competitive advantage (Porter), and customer experience, including mapping. The course analyzes disruptive innovations through a rigorous and chronological analysis of such companies as Citi ATM, Charles Schwab, iPhone, Netflix, Pandora, Kindle, Nucor, Tesla, Uber/LYFT, and Air BnB. | |||
U42 | History of Medicine through Art | Amilcar Castellano Sanchez | Monday 1:00PM - 3:30PM |
This course encompasses the study of medical history as portrayed in different forms of art--visual, written, or performed--with a global perspective. This will encompass topics such as anatomy, physical diagnosis, and different types of illness (especially infectious diseases); a few specializations, such as obstetrics/gynecology, surgery, and psychiatry; and selected examples of preventive medicine and therapeutic approaches. We will do this from the perspective of the vast historical registry available to us. Sessions will include faculty and invited speaker lectures/workshops; video movie screenings, required readings (articles/book/novel (s), homework assignments and group projects. | |||
U43 | Developing Human-Centric Skills for Healthcare | Jason Bell | Wednesday 8:00AM - 9:15AM |
Technical proficiency may earn you an interview, but it is the soft skills that will land you the job (and promotion). This course outlines six soft skill competencies vital for professional success: Compassion, Consciousness, Citizenship, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication. Students will explore each of these dimensions through the lens of a career in healthcare. Sessions will be a combination of lectures, dialogues and experiential learning. Each semester will feature a capstone project. During the first semester students will engage in a tactile volunteerism project. During the second semester they will be assigned real world challenges facing the healthcare industry and asked to provide a novel solution. For both projects students will have several weeks to progress from ideation, to business plan and finally to presentation. | |||
U44 | God and Man in the "Great Conversation" | Ruben Garrote | Tuesday, Thursday 12:30PM - 1:45PM |
From the dawn of history to our own time the record of humanity's struggle to answer the great questions of life has taken the form of a "great conversation" in which thinkers have built on the ideas of their predecessors in trying to offer their own solutions perplexities. This great conversation is ongoing, and it is there for us to draw near and listen to. Perhaps no questions have dominated this conversation more than those that on the relationship between God and Man, the problem of evil or suffering, and the concepts fate and free will. We will read and discuss some of the great works of the past which address themselves to this great question. "Not," as C.S. Lewis once wrote about the reading of old books, "that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes." We will ourselves become participants in this great conversation, reflecting and commenting on their mistakes and ours, and - why not? - offering our own solutions. | |||
U45 | Feast | Gretchen Scharnagl | Monday, Wednesday 11:00AM - 12:15AM |
Chew on this! This course will be a tasting of food as image, a savoring of feasts as ritual, while digesting current cultural food trends and the health impacts of various dietary habits. A healthy serving of the politics, human movements, and conflicts which have influenced the scarcity or abundance of food will be dished out during the year. Humans have been influenced by their food from subsistence to culinary delicacy foraging to domestication of crops and famine crises. Students will sample specific foods, and experience readings, films, and visits to local museums. They will present an abundant banquet of research projects on a wide range of food topics from cannibalism to food waste. In keeping with a course that includes edible art and feast as ritual, students will cook up at least one feast per semester. | |||
U48 | Pandemics, Immigrant Health and Health Disparity | Patria Rojas | Wednesday 2:30PM - 5:15PM |
This multidisciplinary course is led by Dr. Patria Rojas. This course has a global scope but will particularly focus on the influence of pandemics on immigrant population and health disparities. Particular emphasis will be given to public health policy, economics, communication, health promotion and human behavior. Students will develop the skills necessary to assess the risk of pandemics in different scenarios and the ability to identify research gaps in the literature and discuss adaptation strategies for specific topics discussed in cases studies. This course will first present the fundamental factors associated with pandemics, their causes and what is the science of pandemics in general. Secondly, it will cover the impact of climatic change factors that impact migration and pandemics among populations social and behavioral health; particularly: a) chronic illness such as HIV, b) draught and deforestation caused aeroallergens and lung diseases, c) vector borne diseases such as Zika and Dengue, d) foodborne diseases, such as gastrointestinal bacterial infections, e) water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, e) and g) natural disasters. The course will consist of a seminar style course conducted by various guest lecturers from agencies and university's departments in addition to community partners and international guests who work in the areas of public health and social behavioral issues. In the second semester, students will select a pandemic of their choice and using the knowledge from the first semester they will analyze and it. Students will analyze the pandemic and prepare a concept paper and deliver a presentation on an intervention approach. The course will also offer the opportunity for the students to gain skills to identify, analyze and learn about the interconnection of pandemics and its socio-behavioral public health effect. | |||
U50 | Poetry, Art, and Community | John Bailly | Friday 10:00AM - 12:45PM |
Note: This is a combined section class with sec. U51 The "Poetry, Art, and Community" seminar explores the living dialogue between community and the literary and visual arts, and the civic role they can (ought to) play in the public realm with respect to matters that affect us collectively: gender, sexuality, class, diversity, and race. Through service learning projects and exploration of local cultural landmarks and institutions, students will investigate/experience the relationships between community and the arts through the lens of their own creativity. Serving as cultural co-agents of change, they will collaborate with accomplished poets and artists to produce, curate, and host a public literary and arts salon that will feature poetry readings, visual art, and videography centered on the themes surveyed throughout the course. Prof. Richard Blanco read his poem "One Today" at the swearing-in ceremony for former President Barack Obama. |
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U51 | Poetry, Art, and Community | Richard Blanco | Friday 10:00AM - 12:45PM |
Note: This is a combined section class with sec. U50 The "Poetry, Art, and Community" seminar explores the living dialogue between community and the literary and visual arts, and the civic role they can (ought to) play in the public realm with respect to matters that affect us collectively: gender, sexuality, class, diversity, and race. Through service learning projects and exploration of local cultural landmarks and institutions, students will investigate/experience the relationships between community and the arts through the lens of their own creativity. Serving as cultural co-agents of change, they will collaborate with accomplished poets and artists to produce, curate, and host a public literary and arts salon that will feature poetry readings, visual art, and videography centered on the themes surveyed throughout the course. Prof. Richard Blanco read his poem "One Today" at the swearing-in ceremony for former President Barack Obama. |
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UHB | Investment Management: Theory and Application of Portfolios | Phong Vu | Thursday 2:00PM - 3:15PM |
This course for students of any major will explore the investment industry, its tools and techniques, and the application of theory to manage institutional financial assets. Portfolio management strategies will be examined with respect to the goals of various investment sponsors. There will be a focus on analyzing asset classes, setting asset allocation and selecting managers that fit an institution’s needs. The first semester of the course will center on portfolio construction, measurement of performance and manager evaluation. The second semester will include simulated management of the university’s $300 million operating funds portfolio and participation in the Board of Trustees investment committee meetings. | |||
4905 sec. U05 | Social Impact Lab | Daniela Cadena | Tuesday 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
The Social Impact Lab was created with the goal of designing, sustainable solutions to complex problems that affect our local communities. Housed under StartUP FIU and the Honors College, SIL focuses on working with undergraduate students from different fields of study carrying out basic research to understand global issues from a local standpoint - with a focus on social determinants of health (SDOH). Projects consist of in-field learning experience, identifying problems, proposing solutions and validating ideas by creating prototypes that will be tested with the end users themselves. (This course can only be taken for 0-credit) |
Online Seminars 2017-2018
Section | Course Title | Professors | Day and Time |
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RVC | Technosociety: Emerging Technologies and their Ethical Implications | Gustavo Roque | Online |
As a society, our reliance on technology has reached unprecedented heights. This reliance produces serious ethical dilemmas; however, we still want and need to use technology. What will our future look like as new technologies are introduced? This course will focus on emerging technologies and how those technologies affect the human condition. This course will expose students to emerging technologies like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, The Quantified Self and Autonomous Objects. Personal Knowledge Management and Media Literacy will also be covered. Discussions and activities will center around technology and our human reactions and dependencies on them. | |||
RVE | Seven Deadly Sins | Mary Lou Pfeiffer | Online |
The Seven Deadly is a course that investigates what appears as a three-letter word "sin," and its evolution into the list of the 7 deadly [capital/mortal] sins: anger, envy, gluttony, greed (avarice), lust, pride and sloth that are central to moral philosophy and human behavior. The 7 have been examined through art, music and literature for more than 1,500 years, and recently through multimedia and texts. The course explores the complexity of sin and how it affects humanity by offering a background to recognize, define and analyze the 7 deadlies from their historical roots as well as the corresponding virtues that emerged from Eastern and Western societies. Students are required to view films/DVDs throughout the course, read the electronic data, view works of art and listen to music that is posted each sin. | |||
RVF | Art as Persuasion | Pioneer Winter | Online |
The Art as Persuasion fully online course focuses on the cultural and political appropriation of visual and performance art for the purposes of public conformity, propaganda, and dissent (1930-present day). Art, informed by the human experience, no matter its epoch, focus, or demographic, is wrought with dissension and counterpoint; and while scholars have learned to dig deeper and not allow insufficiency of findings to resolve into indifferent wrongness, they have also learned to not take the contradictions of our history too personally. There is no such thing as perspective-free history since those who write the history are themselves fallible - historical accuracy comes only from an honest intention. And honesty is, perhaps, out of reach for us. Keeping this in mind throughout the semester, we will examine how ambitions of power and the development of certain artistic (visual and performance) canons were mutually influenced; what rebel vs. state-sponsored art can tell us about ruling regimes and power relations; how propaganda in art affected society and historical events; and how our own preconceptions and contemporary concerns about propaganda, media, and political manipulation color our own approach to recent history and current culture. | |||
RVG | Myth and Ritual in Film | Adam Gorelick | Online |
This online course integrates theoretical discussions of myth and ritual (as interrelated cultural dimensions of religion) with analyses of the relatively contemporary medium of film. In each case, a collective artistic experience employs narrative form to evoke, to explain, or even to create meaning. Following the trail of 19th-century anthropology and 20th-century psychology, we will examine the binding connections between myth and ritual, and we will also seek out their secular analogues in literature and drama on our way toward film as an integrative multi-media form of cultural expression. We will explore the sociological implications of mainstream cinema (such as Spielberg, Pixar, etc.) as shared experience, film adaptations of myth versus myth-inspired storytelling, theological and political interpretations (e.g., of alien films), and much more. Online interactive features will include live discussion, video, and even some amateur filmmaking on the part of the students. | |||
RVH | Third World Cinema | Elizabeth Hanly | Online |
This course leaves Hollywood film-making behind in the dust. Instead, it explores film from the so-called Third World, focusing in particular on work from Africa and the Middle East. What is the history and social context of this work? Just how sophisticated are the visions, let alone the craft, from so-called underdeveloped areas? To quote a former student: "These films, in contrast to more familiar Hollywood productions, convey the human condition in profound detail. Sometimes what results is terrifying, sometimes it is glorious. Often it is both. From Algerian family dinners to Kenyan ghosts, to brides in the Golan Heights we got to see more than we could have imagined." | |||
RVI | Urban Inequality in HBO's The Wire | Matthew Acevedo | Online |
This two-semester course explores themes of urban inequality, issues of race and class, and topics related to social justice and the power of institutions, using the HBO program The Wire as a literary text. Mirroring the structure of the show, this course will examine the role of the war on drugs, labor, politics, education, and the media in contemporary urban life. In addition to the show itself, the course will rely heavily on supplemental supporting texts, and students are required to think critically and reflectively in a writing-intensive context. *NOTE: There is no required textbook for this course, although students will be required to obtain access to the first three seasons of The Wire, available through Amazon Prime (recommended), HBO, or on Blu-ray/DVD.* *NOTE_2: Please be advised that this show contains graphic imagery related to violence, drug use, and sexuality. Watching this show will expose you to “adult” language and themes. If this poses a problem for you, it is best that you find another course to take before the add/drop period ends. No accommodations will be given based on any objections to any themes in this course. |
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RVJ | Digital Fairytale: An evaluation of our society in the era of social media | Maikel Alendy | Online |
This course will evaluate the disruptive technologies and movements that have shifted the way “we” currently engage our friends, family, and clients. Through participation and academic analysis students will cover the history, cultural effects, and business implications of the following topics: social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Vine) Smartphones & Tablets, Crowdsourcing, Advertising a product/oneself online. Students will utilize content covered in class to effectively create a trending product, movement, or idea. | |||
RVK | Hiaasen: Hilarious Farcical Florida | Mary Lou Pfeiffer | Online |
Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters [upper division Honors] examine the works of award winning South Florida author, humorist and Miami Herald columnist, Carl Hiaasen whose writing spans 40 years with the Miami Herald. Post graduation in journalism from the University of Florida, [yes, he's a Gator] he began writing newspaper columns for the Herald that vividly display his passions: politics, corruption, criminality, the environment, The Everglades and the Florida Keys. We will read several of his hilarious novels that explore his passions and combine them with criminal elements of colorful characters. We will use his columns that are posted in electronic readings, examine his youth novels plus one non-fiction work Team Rodent, How Disney Destroys the World. |
Note: All upper-division seminars are “special topics” courses under the course title, “Aesthetics and Values.”
Modesto A. Maidique Campus Seminars 2017-2018
Section | Course Title | Professors | Day and Time |
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U01 | Human Conduct and Values: Knowledge | Daniel Alvarez | Mon, Wed, Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM |
In the first half of the course, we will discuss the nature of human knowledge, drawing on both Eastern and Western perspectives and approaches (e.g., religious, philosophical, scientific, and aesthetic). In the second half, we will focus on human conduct and valuation, emphasizing some of the dominant approaches to ethics, such as naturalism, existentialism, contextualism, objectivism, and conventionalism. We will work with primary sources, including works (or brief selections) by Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Mill, John L. Mackie, David Wiggins, Nelson Goodman, W. V. Quine, Jonathan Edwards, Saint Bonaventure, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Mahavira, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita.In the first half of the course, we will discuss the nature of human knowledge, drawing on both Eastern and Western perspectives and approaches (e.g., religious, philosophical, scientific, and aesthetic). In the second half, we will focus on human conduct and valuation, emphasizing some of the dominant approaches to ethics, such as naturalism, existentialism, contextualism, objectivism, and conventionalism. We will work with primary sources, including works (or brief selections) by Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Mill, John L. Mackie, David Wiggins, Nelson Goodman, W. V. Quine, Jonathan Edwards, Saint Bonaventure, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Mahavira, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. | |||
U02 | Art as a Social Language | John Bailly | Friday 2:00PM - 4:45PM |
This course is structured around the idea that visual art holds a vital role in the social and cultural dialogue surrounding controversial issues. It investigates how artists have challenged or enforced authority by creating new aesthetics. It further explores how art is used to initiate, accelerate, or prevent social change. The heart of the course is the Aesthetics & Values Research and Exhibition Project. This provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their resourcefulness and creativity through the research, curation, and organization of an on-campus exhibition of contemporary South Florida artists. After forming committees, students are responsible for coordinating all aspects of the exhibition, including selecting artists, negotiating gallery space, working with university administration, and managing local media. Students also produce a thorough research paper on their chosen artists. | |||
U03 | Heady Harmonocosms: A Rollicking Dodecahedral Music/Science Mind Meld | David Becker | Monday 4:00PM - 6:50PM |
Imagine taking twelve particular keys of a piano (the seven white keys and five black keys from a C to the note before the next higher C) and placing the name of each tone assigned to these twelve keys onto a fascinating and obscure twelve-faced three-dimensional object so that one tone appears on each of the twelve faces in a certain arrangement. Now imagine that, of the millions of possible arrangements, the arrangement you created allows the chord sequences and even melodies of a huge number of popular rhythm and blues songs to be easily visualized by traveling in a continuous path that connects the quadrilateral faces of this mysterious gem-like object. New songs with appealing qualities can be composed with the device. How is this possible? Embark on a journey that bridges music and geometry, and that finds mutuality between these areas and the realms of molecular biology and animal morphogenesis. | |||
U04 | Things: Object, Image and Memory | Gretchen Scharnagl | Monday 2:00PM - 4:45PM |
We are surrounded by things. We collect and save, store and arrange them. From family heirlooms, museum and state or religious institution collections, and debris, refuse and remains, our history and memory are directed by image and object. Whether or not an object or image has survived time can affect our collective memory and play a pivotal role in forming society's aesthetics and values as well as demonstrating authority. Inspired by A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor, we will consider what objects, and the stories they generate, define who we are. Projects will include making an artifact for an event that has none and finding objects that generate stories in and about our own lives. The Wolfsonian and other local collections will enrich our exploration. Students will have the option to journey during Spring Break to the museums of Washington D.C. to allow us to discover those things contained within The Smithsonian, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. We communicate through objects and images. We make connections. We think with things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33BS1Hsi9Jc |
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U05 | Observing Ourselves: A Primer for Life After Honors | Scott Fingerhut | Monday 3:00PM - 5:50PM |
This seminar seeks to have you slow down, be quiet, and define your character, what is deeply and fundamentally true, for you and then write about it. We will accomplish this primarily by observing ourselves honestly. Our foundation text is the Bill of Rights’ vision of what is fundamentally fair, primarily in the lives of people accused of crimes: how our society treats its outcasts says perhaps the most about us and what we wish to be. In this sense, criminal law and procedure strike at the core of our studies together. We shall also observe ourselves across contexts historical, philosophical, sociological, spiritual, temporal, and musical to become attuned to "other shoes." As Justice Marshall advised, we may disagree about the requirements of the Constitution but we may disgrace ourselves by interpreting it based upon "unfounded assumptions about how people live." We address questions from “What does it mean to ‘have it made’?” to “Where is the soul?” to “Does freedom evolve?” Would you travel with Einstein's brain? Or talk dirty and influence people? Is there virtue in selfishness? Evolutionism or Creationism? Can I bridge the racial divide? All of this, and more, we shall consider, together. | |||
U06 | Creative Non-Fiction | Elizabeth Hanly | Tuesday 2:00PM - 4:45PM |
Writing is the closest thing to magic that I know. Nobody can pin down how precisely a story comes to a writer. But come they do -- sometimes as a memory that won't let one go; sometimes only as a vague nudge. This course in non-fiction asks students to dig into their own experience, letting the stories that only they know come to them, then finding the best ways to put them down on paper. In the process, one begins to honors one's own experience is unexpected ways. This I can promise. It's an easy step from listening closely for one's own stories, to listening more closely to others' stories. And so, assignments will be divided between personal essay and oral history projects. Both writers and "non-writers" are welcome in this class. Open hearts are required. | |||
U07 | Treating the Person, Not Only the Disease | Jose Rodriguez | Tuesday, Thursday 11:00PM - 12:15PM |
For the better part of a century, a disease-oriented model of treatment has dominated the medical field. In this paradigm, the medical doctor diagnoses and treats bio-physiological maladies and nothing more. Recent changes in the MCAT deal with the psychological and social foundations of behavior. This course will attempt to provide students with a primer for that other half of the MCAT. In the fall semester, we will cover MCAT Foundation Concepts 6 & 7: Sensing the Environment, Making Sense of the Environment, Responding to the World, Individual Influences on Behavior, Social Processes that Influence Human Behavior, and Attitude and Behavior Change. In the spring semester, we will cover MCAT Foundation Concepts 8, 9, & 10: Self-Identity, Social Thinking, Social Interactions, Understanding Social Structure, Demographic Characteristics and Processes, and Social Inequality. All students with an interest in the psycho-social biological foundations of human behavior are welcome to a course that connects psychology, sociology, biology, and anthropology. | |||
U08 | Challenges in Healthcare | Barbra Roller | Monday, Wednesday 5:30PM - 6:45PM |
This course is intended primarily for pre-med students or others planning to enter professional healthcare. It provides a comprehensive overview of the development of healthcare and the U.S. healthcare system, while also including extensive case study, shadowing and/or other field experiences, and some preparation for taking the MCAT. Students will hear about different aspects of healthcare from experts in these fields, many of them medical school faculty. This course has restricted enrollment. | |||
U09 | Biomedical Ethics | Michelle Mason | Wednesday 11:00AM - 1:45PM |
This course looks at how ethical issues have evolved into modern-day medical practices that affect today’s healthcare practitioner. We will examine issues of concern and the laws that govern medicine and bioethics in the US, as well as alternative medical practices where belief systems differ from Western concepts. During the second semester, issues of life and death are examined in detail and debated; these include abortion, stem cell research, AIDS, euthanasia, humans and animals as research subjects, and organ transplants, among others. The primary research initiative involves a 5,000-word paper on a major issue in healthcare. | |||
U10 | Environment and Society | Camilo Rosales | Monday 11:00AM - 1:45PM |
The first semester concentrates in understanding some of the workings of the earth such as natural cycles, natural geography and climatic regions. This is followed by studying how early cultures adapted to these conditions and how they created distinct cultural, practical, and philosophical concepts about the natural realm. The growth of agriculture, cities, art, and science in different parts of the world is covered in this segment. In similar fashion the environmental degradation, and sustainable practices, initiated by these early cultures are also studied. The second semester explores issues of industrial development, energy, technology, and the vast environmental degradation that ensued, including the loss of biodiversity, massive pollution, and climate change. This is followed by researching the great variety of efforts currently underway to remedy the situation including environmental sustainability, conservation, restoration, green urbanism, and new technologies. |
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U11 | Human Perception and Knowledge Creation | John Tsalikis | Wednesday 10:00AM - 12:45PM |
This course, taught by a professor in the College of Business, explores the limits of human perception and how it affects our understanding of the world. A multidisciplinary course, it includes cultural influences on knowledge and perception, behavioral learning theories, attribution theories, causation, and limitations of human senses (Gestalt theory). | |||
U12 | Culture and Expression: Censorship, Suppression, and Propaganda | Jason Calloway | Wednesday 9:00AM - 11:45AM |
For as long as humankind has gathered in groups, we have sought to express ourselves through various means: music, visual art, dance, speech, literature, and now digital media. Yet nearly as long, the seats of power in societies around the world have sought to co-opt, subvert, muzzle, or obliterate altogether the free expression of culture. This course will examine these interdependent issues from diverse vantage points, encompassing everything from the influence of the Catholic church during the Middle Ages through the Civil Rights era, from the agitprop of communist countries to the restrictions, explicit or oblique right here in contemporary America. We'll discuss how Pussy Riot became a tool of Putin's Russia and how they militarized their message in response to imprisonment; how actors helped to bring down the Berlin Wall; how Reinaldo Arenas employed a critical literary voice and openly gay lifestyle against the Castro regime; and much more. Join Jason Calloway, cellist of the Amernet String Quartet, Ensemble-in-Residence at FIU's School of Music and a fervent student of culture, in a frank exploration of ideas which matter to us all. |
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U15 | Global Social Entrepreneurship in Honors | Kate Sackman | Wednesday 10:00AM - 12:45PM |
This course explores the social, economic and political complexities of social ventures with a focus on social entrepreneurship. Alternative forms of social entrepreneurship are explored in depth in order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each business model, and their impacts on communities around the globe. Using six Harvard Business Review cases each semester, students will examine how to address social needs by developing an entrepreneurial venture. This interdisciplinary class brings together students from various academic backgrounds and interests to find comprehensive strategies and solutions to address important issues. Lectures, case studies and readings will prepare students to analyze a social challenge, come up with a business plan for a start-up enterprise as a team, and prepare to present their strategy to potential investors. Teams can be selected to submit their business plan to a global competition partnering with the Clinton Global Initiative. | |||
U17 | Narratives of Medicine, Health, and Healing | Amilcar Castellano Sanchez | Tuesday 1:00PM - 3:30PM |
*This course also has a summer reading: "When breath becomes air" by Paul Kalanithi that students must read prior to the first week of classes* This course aims to bring forth the unbreakable -- yet not well-valued and sparsely characterized -- connection between the worlds of text (narrative, poetry, short stories, memoirs, interviews, and film adaptations) to the worlds of medical ailments and medical practice. The course will encourage the reading and interpretation of different literary media coupled with a mirror representation of the disease (s) being discussed throughout the semester. The ultimate goal of the course is to explore fully the connection between health and well-being and the power of texts of all kind. Further impact of the recognition and valorization of this prominent literary and medical bond will manifest as participants contribute to knowledge via their participation in adding well-researched content to Wikipedia pages of their choice. Sessions will include active participation between students and faculty, Socratic seminar lead-discussions, written reflections, and review of peer review articles on the subject matter. |
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U18 | Entrepreneurship, Design and Thinking | Robert Hacker | Monday 9:00AM - 11:45AM |
This research seminar explores the similarities and unique features of both the design process and new business concept development. The focus is on the processes, heuristics and ways of thinking about problem solving in each discipline. Readings and course work are primarily from the writings of modern practitioners in each field. Equal time is given to both social and for-profit objectives and outcomes. | |||
U19 | Building a Foundation to Thrive in the Legal Profession | Kristen Corpion | Monday 6:45PM - 9:30PM |
Considering a career in the legal profession? If so, this course if for you. The course is designed to help students develop the skills necessary to thrive in the legal industry. The class begins with a multi-disciplinary exploration of the law and its evolution in western society and transforms into an in-depth look at the skills necessary to thrive in the modern legal ecosystem. Much of the course is structured around foundational legal subjects also taught in law school (e.g., civil procedure, contracts, property, etc.). Classes will include lectures by local practitioners, thematic workshops and occasional field trips. Students will leave the class better critical thinkers and better writers who are prepared to tackle the rigors of law school and the legal profession. | |||
U21 | Public Health / Public Works | Pioneer Winter | Tuesday 12:30PM - 3:15PM |
This course focuses on the role of culture in health information and dissemination. Culture can take on many operational definitions depending on the genre, but when applied to health practice it is defined as the collective understanding of a group of healthcare consumers. This course will develop the main points of cultural awareness for the public health professional, as both a pre-requisite and stand-alone course on social awareness that will lead to improvements in social marketing stratagems. Methods discussed will include the visual / performing arts, public works campaigning, health professional lay training (peer-to-peer health dissemination), social responsibility vs. responsibility diffusion, minority populations (e.g., LGBT populations, ethnic / racial disparities), targeting agenda-setting theory, trans-theoretical approaches to behavioral change, and development of health communication. | |||
U22 | Inventing America | Jose Rodriguez | Tuesday, Thursday 2:00PM - 3:15PM |
Since the inception of the United States, the concept of what it means to be an American has been contested. In the last hundred years, various groups that were once excluded from the American mainstream have come to dominate that mainstream. Additionally, the character and adaptation patterns of immigrants have drastically changed since the major influxes of European immigrants at the early part of the last century. What does it mean to be an American in the second decade of the 21st century? What are the processes (social, psychological, geo-political) that have created a different type of immigrant experience now from a hundred years ago? Is America a melting pot, or is there a better metaphor? To answer these, a many more questions, we will endeavor on an interdisciplinary journey through various fields of the humanities and social sciences. In the fall semester, we will focus on the experience of immigrants in their own words, through the use of memoirs. Additionally, we will investigate some of the historical and current reasons various groups of people have for coming to the US and how they develop (or not) a sense of American identity. Possible student projects include oral histories, personal memoirs, among others. In the spring semester, we will focus on the social science of demographic shifts, the psychology of adaptation and assimilation, social stratification and the creation of ethnic enclaves, as well as the science of identity development and change. Possible student projects include qualitative and quantitative projects in the various ethnically concentrated neighborhoods of Miami. | |||
U23 | Leadership in Film: Theory and Practice | Mayra Beers | Tuesday 3:30PM - 6:15PM |
Leaders shape the future of our societies and our organizations. This course will provide opportunities for students to actively reflect on leadership issues by viewing cinematic portrayals of leadership situations that will prompt conversations about personal and organizational values, attitudes, and behaviors. Through the films and supplemental readings, students will be able to analyze, understand, and draw conclusions about various principles of leadership, reflect on the theoretical foundations of their views, and discuss practical applications. | |||
U24 | Ability/Disability: Advocacy/Action | Diana Valle-Riestra | Tuesday, Thursday 11:00AM - 12:15PM |
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to study and reflect on current issues and research related to leadership and self-advocacy within the context of disability studies. The course will establish a risk-free and safe environment for students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers to explore a variety of issues related to self-awareness, self-determination, rights and responsibilities, reflective practice, and the development of leadership skills to create systems change. Specifically, this course will focus on: a) understanding the definitions and practices related to leadership, self-advocacy, and self-determination; b) development of leadership skills and strategies to promote systems change; c) disability history and legal requirements for the delivery of services; d) foundational/"soft" skills critical to the success of all students; and e) the need to be reflective practitioners in our fields of study to create effective change. Assignments and activities are planned to allow for both individual and group exploration of issues such as biographical writing, role-playing, book club, speaker series, event planning, leadership opportunities, and the development of a personal leadership and advocacy action plan. | |||
U26 | Skunkworks | Wifredo Fernandez | Thursday 9:30PM - 12:15PM |
Skunkworks is a team-based course that pushes students to develop desirable, feasible and viable products or services that solve challenges they are passionate about. The goal is to emulate the process of starting a startup. Students will work in inter-disciplinary, collaborative units to build empathy for their target users, identify specific problems, develop prototypes and iterate solutions based on user feedback, and ultimately test potential business models. The course will consist of a mix of lecture, guest speakers, heavy field work and independent team project management. Students will also be connected to the broader Miami startup community, visit incubators and attend events that amplify their professional network. | |||
U27 | Diplomacy Lab | Brian Fonseca | Tuesday, Thursday 5:00PM - 6:15PM |
The U.S. Department of State's Diplomacy Lab provides the opportunity to explore real-world challenges identified by State Department officials and work under the guidance of FIU faculty members with experience in diplomacy and international relations. Students will conduct multidisciplinary research over the course of the semester and provide the State Department with answers and actionable recommendations that support U.S foreign policy. Throughout the semester, students will work on their research inside and outside of the classroom, engage routinely with State Department officials, and interact with subject matter experts at FIU and around the globe. The course will conclude with the submission of a final research product and a presentation to the U.S. Department of State. The Diplomacy Lab allows students to contribute directly to the policymaking process, while helping the State Department tap into an underutilized reservoir of intellectual capital. | |||
U28 | Growing Smartly: How Global Corporations Grow Successfully | Hortensia Sampedro | Monday 1:00PM - 3:45PM |
Strategy, Marketing and Tactics explores the inter-relationship between three business disciplines: strategy, marketing and management. The course uses Harvard Business School cases, selected readings and a course project to develop a more practical understanding of the application of key concepts from each of these three disciplines. Students are encouraged to use the cases to test theory learned in previous courses against the realities of each case setting. The further development of skills in creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving are planned for and expected. The course project will require each team of students (3-4 students) to analyze a problem company, such as Apple, propose a new strategy and management structure and discuss what should be the key objectives for senior management. | |||
U29 | The Role of Law in Business: An Entrepreneur's Guide | Kristen Corpion | Wednesday 6:45PM - 9:30PM |
Calling all entrepreneurs and future business managers! For example, are you a pre-med student thinking about one day opening your own practice? Are you a business major with creative ideas for a new company? How will you manage such a feat? Where do you start? What sort of things should you know? What type of business structure would best suit your needs? This course will help you answer these questions and make confident and informed business decisions.The legal system and business policies and practices in the United States are closely related. Few aspects on how to manage a business can be accomplished without understanding various legal requirements. A basic understanding of these rules and the ethical constraints that impact business provides a framework for making sound business decisions, facilitates commercial transactions and promotes order in the marketplace. Course emphasis is on analytical problem-solving, ethical decision-making and critical thinking vis-à-vis the identification of issues and addressing of potential challenges before they become actual, expensive problems. A sample of topics to be covered include business entity selection/formation, structuring ownership/management, understanding human resources and preparing contracts. | |||
U30 | Law School in a Nutshell | Angie Puentes Leon | Wednesday 10:00AM - 12:30PM |
The course is designed to introduce students to a learning experience mirroring the 1st year of law school. Structured around lectures on core law school subjects (Constitutional Law, Contracts, & Torts), guest lectures by law faculty, and experiential learning opportunities, the course will prepare students for law school and teach with an emphasis on recreating the law school environment. The course will use the Socratic Method, law school exams, and an emphasis on legal research, writing and advocacy. | |||
U31 | The Everglades: From Beginning to End | Peter Machonis, Devon Graham | Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
This course will provide an in-depth, hands-on study of issues concerning Everglades National Park by examining not only the Everglades eco-system and the politics surrounding its conservation, but also the literature and art about the Everglades. It requires active participation from each student and can be physically challenging, since classes take place outdoors, rain or shine, and involve physical activities such as hiking, biking, canoeing, and walking through the swamp (slough slogging). Students also learn to identify South Florida flora and fauna. Class meets twice a month on Friday for the entire day at various off-campus locations (Homestead, Flamingo, Shark Valley, Big Cypress, Everglades City). In the past, we have had guests such as the photographer Clyde Butcher and the writer Carl Hiaasen, as well as Park Rangers. Participation is limited to 18 students. | |||
U32 | Lessons in Life and Leadership | Modesto Maidique | Wednesday 2:00PM - 4:45PM |
This course will examine the fundamentals of effective leadership through lectures, case discussions, and selected speakers drawn from the top business and civic leaders in Miami-Dade County. The first part is an intensive discussion of the literature on leadership effectiveness. Students will be provided with a list of concepts to help them better understand the role of an effective leader. They will utilize learning mediums such as the Big Five Personality Test and their life-changing crucible stories to help determine their own personal strengths and weaknesses as leaders. Students will select a leader for individual study from a list provided by the professor. They will analyze the leader and prepare and deliver a presentation on their findings. The professor of this course, Modesto Maidique, served as the third president of FIU from 1986 to 2008. He was CEO and President of Oscient Pharmaceuticals Corp. He was the founder of Semiconductor (Linear IC) Division of Analog Devices Inc., and served as Vice President and General Manager of the company. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Genome Therapeutics Corporation (formerly known as Collaborative Research, Inc.). (Faculty Permission Required) Note: The course you are trying to enroll in requires professor consent. To apply for this course, please contact Anna Mueller at amueller@fiu.edu. |
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U36 | The Fourth Industrial Revolution | Robert Hacker, Emily Gresham | Monday 1:00PM - 3:45PM |
Google, Amazon, Facebook, Uber, Netflix are some of the most disruptive and transformative technologies in the last twenty years. These technologies not only changed the way people accessed information and services but also how people behave. This course explores this major period of technological and social change called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. From robots to 3D printed medication, the period in which we now live will have wide ranging effects for at least the next fifty years. | |||
U37 | Cybersecurity | Randy Pestana, Brian Fonseca | Wednesday 5:00PM - 7:40PM |
This course is designed to introduce students to cybersecurity through policy and art. Over the course of two semesters, students will examine the current cybersecurity environment, understand the principles of cybersecurity, develop strategic planning capabilities, identify cybersecurity laws and regulatory requirements, and anticipate the future of cybersecurity threats, all in the context of US national security. Students will understand the interconnectedness between policy and technology, and how the public sector works with the private sector to combat cybersecurity threats. Students will be assigned both fictional and non-fictional texts as a means to understand the cybersecurity themes discussed above. Students will also view films that present on critical aspects of cybersecurity including hacking, insider threats, and cyber-terrorists, amongst others. Together, students will place themselves in the role of policymaker and develop a strategy to counter current and emerging cybersecurity threats. |
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U38 | Biophysics of Neuroscience | Jorge Riera Diaz | Tuesday, Thursday 2:00PM - 3:15PM |
This course will discuss the biophysics of neuronal computation for both biological and artificial neural networks. It will prepare students of any major to understand the main principles by which our brains work and computers recognize patterns, learn/plan actions, and interact with humans from an interdisciplinary perspective. The course will provide a detailed introduction to the anatomy/physiology of excitable cells, major brain architectures and principles, and the most relevant mathematical models for neural computation from single neurons to circuits. In the spring, students will learn to analyze electrophysiological data. Students will be provided with software to conduct the analysis of data recorded at different FIU sites, analyze data sets, and interpret the results in a 10-page publication. | |||
U41 | Disruptive Innovations: How Scalable Innovations are Shaping Our World, Not Your Parents' World | Hortensia Sampedro | Wednesday 3:00PM - 4:50PM |
Recent key innovations have disrupted their markets. It is well known that every time you take a large market and you substitute technology, you create disruption. There are three fundamental ways to achieve this: Do something differently, do something better, or do something new. The course studies the following key concepts, utilizing cases and readings of modern day examples to develop the themes: How do you develop new business ideas? what is disruptive innovation (Christiansen)?, competitive advantage (Porter), and customer experience, including mapping. The course analyzes disruptive innovations through a rigorous and chronological analysis of such companies as Citi ATM, Charles Schwab, iPhone, Netflix, Pandora, Kindle, Nucor, Tesla, Uber/LYFT, and Air BnB. | |||
U42 | History of Medicine through Art | Amilcar Castellano Sanchez | Monday 1:00PM - 3:30PM |
This course encompasses the study of medical history as portrayed in different forms of art--visual, written, or performed--with a global perspective. This will encompass topics such as anatomy, physical diagnosis, and different types of illness (especially infectious diseases); a few specializations, such as obstetrics/gynecology, surgery, and psychiatry; and selected examples of preventive medicine and therapeutic approaches. We will do this from the perspective of the vast historical registry available to us. Sessions will include faculty and invited speaker lectures/workshops; video movie screenings, required readings (articles/book/novel (s), homework assignments and group projects. | |||
U43 | Developing Human-Centric Skills for Healthcare | Jason Bell | Wednesday 8:00AM - 9:15AM |
Technical proficiency may earn you an interview, but it is the soft skills that will land you the job (and promotion). This course outlines six soft skill competencies vital for professional success: Compassion, Consciousness, Citizenship, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication. Students will explore each of these dimensions through the lens of a career in healthcare. Sessions will be a combination of lectures, dialogues and experiential learning. Each semester will feature a capstone project. During the first semester students will engage in a tactile volunteerism project. During the second semester they will be assigned real world challenges facing the healthcare industry and asked to provide a novel solution. For both projects students will have several weeks to progress from ideation, to business plan and finally to presentation. | |||
U44 | God and Man in the "Great Conversation" | Ruben Garrote | Tuesday, Thursday 12:30PM - 1:45PM |
From the dawn of history to our own time the record of humanity's struggle to answer the great questions of life has taken the form of a "great conversation" in which thinkers have built on the ideas of their predecessors in trying to offer their own solutions perplexities. This great conversation is ongoing, and it is there for us to draw near and listen to. Perhaps no questions have dominated this conversation more than those that on the relationship between God and Man, the problem of evil or suffering, and the concepts fate and free will. We will read and discuss some of the great works of the past which address themselves to this great question. "Not," as C.S. Lewis once wrote about the reading of old books, "that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes." We will ourselves become participants in this great conversation, reflecting and commenting on their mistakes and ours, and - why not? - offering our own solutions. | |||
U45 | Feast | Gretchen Scharnagl | Monday, Wednesday 11:00AM - 12:15AM |
Chew on this! This course will be a tasting of food as image, a savoring of feasts as ritual, while digesting current cultural food trends and the health impacts of various dietary habits. A healthy serving of the politics, human movements, and conflicts which have influenced the scarcity or abundance of food will be dished out during the year. Humans have been influenced by their food from subsistence to culinary delicacy foraging to domestication of crops and famine crises. Students will sample specific foods, and experience readings, films, and visits to local museums. They will present an abundant banquet of research projects on a wide range of food topics from cannibalism to food waste. In keeping with a course that includes edible art and feast as ritual, students will cook up at least one feast per semester. | |||
U48 | Pandemics, Immigrant Health and Health Disparity | Patria Rojas | Wednesday 2:30PM - 5:15PM |
This multidisciplinary course is led by Dr. Patria Rojas. This course has a global scope but will particularly focus on the influence of pandemics on immigrant population and health disparities. Particular emphasis will be given to public health policy, economics, communication, health promotion and human behavior. Students will develop the skills necessary to assess the risk of pandemics in different scenarios and the ability to identify research gaps in the literature and discuss adaptation strategies for specific topics discussed in cases studies. This course will first present the fundamental factors associated with pandemics, their causes and what is the science of pandemics in general. Secondly, it will cover the impact of climatic change factors that impact migration and pandemics among populations social and behavioral health; particularly: a) chronic illness such as HIV, b) draught and deforestation caused aeroallergens and lung diseases, c) vector borne diseases such as Zika and Dengue, d) foodborne diseases, such as gastrointestinal bacterial infections, e) water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, e) and g) natural disasters. The course will consist of a seminar style course conducted by various guest lecturers from agencies and university's departments in addition to community partners and international guests who work in the areas of public health and social behavioral issues. In the second semester, students will select a pandemic of their choice and using the knowledge from the first semester they will analyze and it. Students will analyze the pandemic and prepare a concept paper and deliver a presentation on an intervention approach. The course will also offer the opportunity for the students to gain skills to identify, analyze and learn about the interconnection of pandemics and its socio-behavioral public health effect. | |||
U50 | Poetry, Art, and Community | John Bailly | Friday 10:00AM - 12:45PM |
Note: This is a combined section class with sec. U51 The "Poetry, Art, and Community" seminar explores the living dialogue between community and the literary and visual arts, and the civic role they can (ought to) play in the public realm with respect to matters that affect us collectively: gender, sexuality, class, diversity, and race. Through service learning projects and exploration of local cultural landmarks and institutions, students will investigate/experience the relationships between community and the arts through the lens of their own creativity. Serving as cultural co-agents of change, they will collaborate with accomplished poets and artists to produce, curate, and host a public literary and arts salon that will feature poetry readings, visual art, and videography centered on the themes surveyed throughout the course. Prof. Richard Blanco read his poem "One Today" at the swearing-in ceremony for former President Barack Obama. |
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U51 | Poetry, Art, and Community | Richard Blanco | Friday 10:00AM - 12:45PM |
Note: This is a combined section class with sec. U50 The "Poetry, Art, and Community" seminar explores the living dialogue between community and the literary and visual arts, and the civic role they can (ought to) play in the public realm with respect to matters that affect us collectively: gender, sexuality, class, diversity, and race. Through service learning projects and exploration of local cultural landmarks and institutions, students will investigate/experience the relationships between community and the arts through the lens of their own creativity. Serving as cultural co-agents of change, they will collaborate with accomplished poets and artists to produce, curate, and host a public literary and arts salon that will feature poetry readings, visual art, and videography centered on the themes surveyed throughout the course. Prof. Richard Blanco read his poem "One Today" at the swearing-in ceremony for former President Barack Obama. |
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UHB | Investment Management: Theory and Application of Portfolios | Phong Vu | Thursday 2:00PM - 3:15PM |
This course for students of any major will explore the investment industry, its tools and techniques, and the application of theory to manage institutional financial assets. Portfolio management strategies will be examined with respect to the goals of various investment sponsors. There will be a focus on analyzing asset classes, setting asset allocation and selecting managers that fit an institution’s needs. The first semester of the course will center on portfolio construction, measurement of performance and manager evaluation. The second semester will include simulated management of the university’s $300 million operating funds portfolio and participation in the Board of Trustees investment committee meetings. | |||
4905 sec. U05 | Social Impact Lab | Daniela Cadena | Tuesday 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
The Social Impact Lab was created with the goal of designing, sustainable solutions to complex problems that affect our local communities. Housed under StartUP FIU and the Honors College, SIL focuses on working with undergraduate students from different fields of study carrying out basic research to understand global issues from a local standpoint - with a focus on social determinants of health (SDOH). Projects consist of in-field learning experience, identifying problems, proposing solutions and validating ideas by creating prototypes that will be tested with the end users themselves. (This course can only be taken for 0-credit) |
Online Seminars 2017-2018
Section | Course Title | Professors | Day and Time |
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RVC | Technosociety: Emerging Technologies and their Ethical Implications | Gustavo Roque | Online |
As a society, our reliance on technology has reached unprecedented heights. This reliance produces serious ethical dilemmas; however, we still want and need to use technology. What will our future look like as new technologies are introduced? This course will focus on emerging technologies and how those technologies affect the human condition. This course will expose students to emerging technologies like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, The Quantified Self and Autonomous Objects. Personal Knowledge Management and Media Literacy will also be covered. Discussions and activities will center around technology and our human reactions and dependencies on them. | |||
RVE | Seven Deadly Sins | Mary Lou Pfeiffer | Online |
The Seven Deadly is a course that investigates what appears as a three-letter word "sin," and its evolution into the list of the 7 deadly [capital/mortal] sins: anger, envy, gluttony, greed (avarice), lust, pride and sloth that are central to moral philosophy and human behavior. The 7 have been examined through art, music and literature for more than 1,500 years, and recently through multimedia and texts. The course explores the complexity of sin and how it affects humanity by offering a background to recognize, define and analyze the 7 deadlies from their historical roots as well as the corresponding virtues that emerged from Eastern and Western societies. Students are required to view films/DVDs throughout the course, read the electronic data, view works of art and listen to music that is posted each sin. | |||
RVF | Art as Persuasion | Pioneer Winter | Online |
The Art as Persuasion fully online course focuses on the cultural and political appropriation of visual and performance art for the purposes of public conformity, propaganda, and dissent (1930-present day). Art, informed by the human experience, no matter its epoch, focus, or demographic, is wrought with dissension and counterpoint; and while scholars have learned to dig deeper and not allow insufficiency of findings to resolve into indifferent wrongness, they have also learned to not take the contradictions of our history too personally. There is no such thing as perspective-free history since those who write the history are themselves fallible - historical accuracy comes only from an honest intention. And honesty is, perhaps, out of reach for us. Keeping this in mind throughout the semester, we will examine how ambitions of power and the development of certain artistic (visual and performance) canons were mutually influenced; what rebel vs. state-sponsored art can tell us about ruling regimes and power relations; how propaganda in art affected society and historical events; and how our own preconceptions and contemporary concerns about propaganda, media, and political manipulation color our own approach to recent history and current culture. | |||
RVG | Myth and Ritual in Film | Adam Gorelick | Online |
This online course integrates theoretical discussions of myth and ritual (as interrelated cultural dimensions of religion) with analyses of the relatively contemporary medium of film. In each case, a collective artistic experience employs narrative form to evoke, to explain, or even to create meaning. Following the trail of 19th-century anthropology and 20th-century psychology, we will examine the binding connections between myth and ritual, and we will also seek out their secular analogues in literature and drama on our way toward film as an integrative multi-media form of cultural expression. We will explore the sociological implications of mainstream cinema (such as Spielberg, Pixar, etc.) as shared experience, film adaptations of myth versus myth-inspired storytelling, theological and political interpretations (e.g., of alien films), and much more. Online interactive features will include live discussion, video, and even some amateur filmmaking on the part of the students. | |||
RVH | Third World Cinema | Elizabeth Hanly | Online |
This course leaves Hollywood film-making behind in the dust. Instead, it explores film from the so-called Third World, focusing in particular on work from Africa and the Middle East. What is the history and social context of this work? Just how sophisticated are the visions, let alone the craft, from so-called underdeveloped areas? To quote a former student: "These films, in contrast to more familiar Hollywood productions, convey the human condition in profound detail. Sometimes what results is terrifying, sometimes it is glorious. Often it is both. From Algerian family dinners to Kenyan ghosts, to brides in the Golan Heights we got to see more than we could have imagined." | |||
RVI | Urban Inequality in HBO's The Wire | Matthew Acevedo | Online |
This two-semester course explores themes of urban inequality, issues of race and class, and topics related to social justice and the power of institutions, using the HBO program The Wire as a literary text. Mirroring the structure of the show, this course will examine the role of the war on drugs, labor, politics, education, and the media in contemporary urban life. In addition to the show itself, the course will rely heavily on supplemental supporting texts, and students are required to think critically and reflectively in a writing-intensive context. *NOTE: There is no required textbook for this course, although students will be required to obtain access to the first three seasons of The Wire, available through Amazon Prime (recommended), HBO, or on Blu-ray/DVD.* *NOTE_2: Please be advised that this show contains graphic imagery related to violence, drug use, and sexuality. Watching this show will expose you to “adult” language and themes. If this poses a problem for you, it is best that you find another course to take before the add/drop period ends. No accommodations will be given based on any objections to any themes in this course. |
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RVJ | Digital Fairytale: An evaluation of our society in the era of social media | Maikel Alendy | Online |
This course will evaluate the disruptive technologies and movements that have shifted the way “we” currently engage our friends, family, and clients. Through participation and academic analysis students will cover the history, cultural effects, and business implications of the following topics: social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Vine) Smartphones & Tablets, Crowdsourcing, Advertising a product/oneself online. Students will utilize content covered in class to effectively create a trending product, movement, or idea. | |||
RVK | Hiaasen: Hilarious Farcical Florida | Mary Lou Pfeiffer | Online |
Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters [upper division Honors] examine the works of award winning South Florida author, humorist and Miami Herald columnist, Carl Hiaasen whose writing spans 40 years with the Miami Herald. Post graduation in journalism from the University of Florida, [yes, he's a Gator] he began writing newspaper columns for the Herald that vividly display his passions: politics, corruption, criminality, the environment, The Everglades and the Florida Keys. We will read several of his hilarious novels that explore his passions and combine them with criminal elements of colorful characters. We will use his columns that are posted in electronic readings, examine his youth novels plus one non-fiction work Team Rodent, How Disney Destroys the World. |